Filming scenes for Last Stand in New Mexico, November, 2011
The movie will be released in 2013
Once California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger turned over that state's executive operation to former/recently re-elected Governor Jerry Brown, it was time for the Austrian Oak/aka Terminator to get back to the film business. Last Stand, a contemporary western about jail escapees and a drug cartel, is the name of the movie where he is doing just that and it has been filming in Belén, New Mexico. Rather close to home, even -- we hear the gun battles loud and clear with the windows closed. Day and after dark. Work here is scheduled to finish in early December. The Schwarzenegger role -- Sheriff Owens -- is an older guy faced with a decision to stand up (or not) for his desert border town. In which I live a couple of blocks south of some of the filming.
Here are a few shots of the area -- none with the actors. Three places are normally empty lots (one's a parking lot), temporary homes of either mobile buildings or a few walls with a store sign out front went on them. One has a cross covered "church" with a "Got Saved?" traffic sign between it and the kind of arch you expect to see in front of a ranch, with a cross atop it. A second became Craig's Tire with piles of monster treads out front; later a rusty orange tractor and a tall gate complete with a hanging tire were added. A third vacant lot now hosts what looks like a soda shop (with only three sides). These share a city block with the historic Belén Hotel, where artist Judy Chicago has a feminist art exhibit and her workshop (and where a gun battle was filmed in a "restaurant" which film people created inside), a local pub (with a movie-created saloon next door), a dojo and a bowling alley.
Going about errands in my wheelchair, I got used to seeing a beat up Mexican prison bus, a yellow school bus, Summerton County Sheriff's SUV and patrol car. Most interesting, though, is the equipment used in the filming.
Dog going into base camp
"Church" on right, Craig Tire at corner on left, Belén Hotel is the brick building (gunfight takes place there)
A couple of blocks west, the former Belén City Hall in Valencia County, vacant for ten years, got a bit of a facelift for its new life as the Summerton County Municipal Building -- where the Schwarzenegger sheriff's character has his office and jail. A Summerton County Sheriff's vehicle occasionally "patrols." A vacant former school bus parking lot was turned into base camp for LST, with a small local police presence at the entrance at times. I'll have to wait for the movie to come out in 2013 to find out if that dog going in is a canine actor or an off camera companion for the cast/crew. Semi trailers with neon green cloth draped over the sides served as backdrops to the outdoor sets. Whenever scenes were filming these areas were mostly off limits.
"Summerton County Municipal Building" -- the old Belén City Hall, tidied up
Filming from behind the Belén Library
The actors and crews mingled with Belén residents and gave the local economy a friendly boost. Schwarzenegger, who morphed before our eyes from his familiar sleek-haired self into a sheriff with gelled spikes-- was injured on the set during the week of November 14 -- afterwards posted a photo on Twitter: Schwarzenegger Injured. He and some cast and crew met with Belén city leaders on the set. In addition, he challenged Valencia County residents to get up to the Valencia County Animal Shelter and adopt some dogs. He was spotted at WalMart purchasing warm clothing for the crew when the weather turned notably cold. Crews, now and then including the former California governor, often ate at Pete's Cafe. As a gift to the people of Belén for their cooperation in having a busy area of the small city closed off during the weeks of filming, the production crews want to restore the iconic train cars known as The Doodlebug -- which honor Belén's significant spot in the southwestern railway system. Urgently as this restoration is needed, there is still mind-numbing red tape slowing things down.
Update in late January 2012: The production crew from "Last Stand" had to leave town before the required agency approval for their plan to restore The Doodlebug, aka Santa Fe M-190, and landscape its park was approved. For us living in this older part of Belén this is sad. What is meant to be a tribute to the small city's role in the US railway system is left looking like it's headed for the rust belt… However: in late January the Valencia County News-Bulletin carried an article saying that at last the approval for renovations came through. And that authorities actually worked hard to speed the process along just because of the uniqueness of the production crew's offer.
Although the production crew cannot return to remove the crumbling asbestos, lead paint and rust, spiff up the railway cars and landscape the park, they will fund the work! Costs are expected to be a bit over $15,000.
This generous gesture is so much appreciated by area residents. Doodlebug is a couple of blocks south of the historic Harvey House Museum and Pete's Café, along the north-south railway tracks. On average some 125 trains a day come through here. Plus a significant and welcome number of visitors.
The Doodlebug, just south of one of Last Stand's locations.
Rust patches very visible on right
